Sarah Louise Curtiss, PH.D.

Sarah Louise Curtiss

I study the lived experience of individuals with autism, their families, and support professionals. I then consider how to apply that understanding to create programs that foster resilience and facilitate positive development. My research is applied and has led to projects on human sexuality education, social skills, and family mealtimes. Throughout my research, I situate individuals with autism in context – in families, communities, schools, service systems, and cultures. My goal in doing this is to understand how to support and structure the systems that affect youth with autism.

As a Hegarty fellow, I am excited to continue this program of research in a collaborative, international, and interdisciplinary environment. I am co-located in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education at Michigan State University and the Department of Psychiatry at Trinity College, Dublin. I completed my Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During my fellowship, I will be working with Drs. Gloria Lee, Kristin Rispoli, and Louise Gallagher on online parent education, transition, and health.

Lindsay Athamanah, PH.D.

Lindsay Athamanah

University: Michigan State University and National University of Ireland Galway

Supervisor: Dr. Geraldine Leader

Bio:

I received my PhD in Special Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), my M.S. in Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and my B.A. in Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. I have 10 years of experience as a speech-language pathologist working in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) primarily with students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities (ASD/ID). As a Hegarty Fellow, I will be working in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education at Michigan State University with Drs. Marisa Fisher and Connie Sung and in the School of Psychology at the National University of Ireland, Galway with Dr. Geraldine Leader.

My research agenda is grounded in my career as a speech-language pathologist in CPS. Students with ASD/ID continue to face low expectations and limited interventions that hinder post-school success. Furthermore, these students remain segregated from their peers in educational and employment settings, which potentially hampers their development of skills and limits opportunities to build and maintain peer friendships. My research focuses on evaluating the impact of peer-mediated interventions on the vocational and social skills of students with ASD/ID and their peers in inclusive work-based learning settings before they graduate from high school. During my time as a Hegarty Fellow, I plan to expand this line of research by analyzing the perceptions of employers, peers, and students with ASD/ID about employment expectations, the experience of working together, and how peer relationships develop in an inclusive work environment.

Songtian (Tim) Zeng, PH.D.

Songtian (Tim) Zeng

University: Michigan State University and Trinity College Dublin

Supervisor: Prof. Louise Gallagher

Bio:

I received my PhD in Special Education from the University of Washington in Seattle and I am a board certified behavior analysis (BCBA). As a Hegarty Fellow, I will be co-located at Michigan State University and Trinity College. In the past five years, my research focuses on early intervention and assessment for students with autism and other neurological disabilities. I take a “Whole Child” approach that integrated both evidence-based practices from education and mental health disciplines. To support “Whole Child” education, my research agenda focuses on evidence-based practices, teacher and parent training, and program quality improvement. These three lines of research are based on my belief that evidence-based practices (EBPs) may impact student outcomes if they are implemented with fidelity by well-prepared educators in high-quality inclusive settings. I supported program evaluation and quantitative data analysis in a number of federal and stated funded research projects at the University of Washington Childcare Quality and Early Learning Center for Research and Professional Development, the National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning, and the Center for Strong Schools. Here are some of my selected publication:

Zeng, S., & Cheatham, G. (2017). Chinese-American parents’ perceptions about using the Internet to seek information for their children with autism, British Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 1, 1-20, doi: 10.1111/1467-8578.12182

Benner, G. J, & Zeng, S. (2016). The effects of the language for learning program on the social adjustment of kindergarten children, Early Child Development and Care. 1-10, doi: doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2016.1255210

Zeng, S., Benner, G. J, & Siver, R. (2016). Responding to the whole child: Effects of a summer learning program on urban elementary students’ literacy and social emotional outcomes. Education and Treatment of Children TECBD Special Issue, 39, 593-616.

In the coming two years, I am excited to collaborate with faculties at MSU and Trinity College on a number of research projects to support people with disabilities across life span.

Hyun-ju Kang, PH.D.

Hyun-ju Kang

University: Michigan State University and Trinity College Dublin

Bio:

Research is an important way to translate knowledge. I believe that research based knowledge and theories must be translated to inform disability policy and provide evidence-based practice. My main focus during the next 2 years as a DOCTRID-MSU Hegarty Fellow are 'Parental Expectations for the Employment Outcomes for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Intellectual Disabilities" and " A Literature Review of Assistive Technology." I have nearly 4 years of work experience in the area of disability and transition as a play therapist and teacher. I also have nearly 5 years of research experience in transition and post-school outcomes as a research assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

I am so excited to work with international and interdisciplinary research teams in this program. I hope to improve my research knowledge and skills as well as have grant writing, publication, teaching, and mentorship experiences in the program. I believe that this program is promising in preparing for my future career with my fellows, mentors, and international and interdisciplinary research teams.

Rebecca Irvine, PH.D.

Rebecca Irvine

University: Michigan State University, Queen’s University Belfast and NUI Galway

Bio:

As a Hegarty Fellow, I will be co-located at Michigan State University, Queen’s University Belfast, and the National University of Ireland - Galway. My primary research objective during the Fellowship will be to identify ways to make the policy environment more accessible for people with intellectual disabilities and their advocates. I intend to work with self-advocates/advocates, policy-makers, and organizations in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Michigan, in order to gain a better insight into the limited inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in influencing and measuring policy outcomes.

My educational background includes a B.A. in International Relations from Michigan State University, an M.A. in Comparative Ethnic Conflict from Queen’s University Belfast, and a Ph.D. in Social Policy, also from Queen’s University Belfast. My doctoral thesis, ‘The Other Minority: Disability Policy in the Post-Civil Conflict Environment’, was an international comparative project that considered the involvement of people with disabilities in post-conflict reconstruction and peace-building, in addition to the social, economic, and political factors that affect policy development and implementation during conflict transformation. Other projects and publications have included:
‘Shortfalls in Public Policy and Programme Delivery in Northern Ireland Relative to the UNCRPD’ (with Dr Bronagh Byrne & Dr Colin Harper); ‘Inquiry into Post Special Education Need Provision in Education, Employment & Training for People with Intellectual Disabilities’ (on behalf of the Committee for Employment and Learning in the Northern Ireland Assembly); ‘Getting Disability on the Post-Conflict Agenda: the Role of a Disability Movement’ published in D Mitchell and V Karr (2014) Conflict, Disaster and Disability: Ensuring Equality; and ‘Prioritizing the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Post-Conflict Education Reform’ in Child Care in Practice special edition on children with disabilities (January 2015).
Prior to undertaking my Ph.D., I also worked for Mencap in Northern Ireland, coordinating numerous campaigns and establishing the All-Party Group on Intellectual Disability in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Nicole Neil, PH.D.

Nicole Neil

University: Michigan State University and NUI Galway

Bio:

I received my PhD in psychology from the Graduate Center (CUNY), hold my M.A. in Applied Disability studies from Brock University, and have over nine years of professional experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities. As a Hegarty Fellow, I am jointly appointed at in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, and the National University of Ireland, Galway in the School of Psychology. I also teach graduate courses in applied behavior analysis at Brock University and the University of Western Ontario

My program of research focuses on maximizing outcomes in behavioral interventions for learners with developmental disabilities. My primary research interest is in identifying ways of enhancing the effectiveness of interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities by tailoring the intensity at which intervention is provided. In a special issue in the Journal of Behavioral Education on treatment intensity, I published the results from a series of preliminary studies highlighting how the diagnosis of Down syndrome interacts with treatment intensity. I am also involved in projects investigating group cognitive behavioral therapy for children with autism and obsessive compulsive behavior and improving long-term relationships between children with autism and their typically developing siblings.

June Chen, PH.D.

June Chen

University: Michigan State University and NUI Galway

Bio:

During her time as a Hegarty Fellow, June worked on understanding barriers to social inclusion for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and on developing a training programme and online tool to increase job readiness for adults with ID or ASD.

Stacy Clifford, PH.D.

Stacy Clifford

University: Michigan State University and NUI Galway

Bio:

Dr Stacy Clifford increased our understanding of the meaning and impact of social inclusion during her time as a Hegarty Fellow. She published a paper in the journal ‘Research in Developmental Disabilities’ entitled ‘Defining social inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: An ecological model of social networks and community participation’ which highlights the importance of both interpersonal relationships and community participation in achieving real social inclusion for people with ID. Stacy has recently taken up a position as senior lecturer in the Women's and Gender Studies Program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Carolyn Shivers, PH.D.

Carolyn Shivers

University: Michigan State University and Trinity College Dublin

Bio:

Dr Carolyn Shivers developed LifeStory work amongst older adults with ID during her time as a Hegarty Fellow. This involved using iPads and a suite of apps to create a personalised LifeStory and creating a ‘Train the Trainer Manual’ for DoC staff. The next phase is to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of iPad based LifeStory work in improving communication, social connectedness and quality of life for people with ID. This important research is continuing within the DoC. Caroline's other research interest was siblings of individuals with ID or ASD. Caroline is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development at Virginia Tech.